Profile: It’s difficult to put any fantasy value on Dustin McGowan, who made his return to a Major League mound in 2011 after not pitching -- in any league -- since 2008. Just the fact that McGowan returned at all was a testament to his work ethic, love for the game, and, well, medicine. McGowan’s injury-history is well documented, but he’s back, healthy, and will be competing for a job in Toronto in 2012 -- likely as a starter. Or out of the bullpen. It’s unclear. Toronto’s not sure what’s left in McGowan’s arm, but they’ve shown patience as an organization in wanting to find out. McGowan’s first appearance in September 2011 was out of the bullpen, but he made four starts after that and was hit hard, posting a 6.43 ERA and 5.60 FIP. That had to be expected, though, after so much time away. The good news: In 21 innings, McGowan struck out 20 batters, good for a strikeout rate of 8.57. (He posted similar strikeout rates in High-A and Double-A before joining Toronto as a September call-up.) McGowan also posted a ground-ball rate of 50.0%. There’s some more bad news, though: he struggled with his control, posting a walk rate of 5.57. Again, hardly surprising. But it’s clear, there’s some excitement left in that arm, and, with McGowan turning 30, there’s still time for him to be a fantasy contributor. Keep an eye on him in spring training, as he could be a low-risk, high-reward player you scoop in the later rounds of your draft at the right price, especially if he’s starting games. Toronto had high hopes for McGowan once upon a time. (Navin Vaswani)

The Quick Opinion: McGowan’s appearances as a September call-up Toronto in 2011 were his first on a Major League mound since 2008. He’ll be fighting for a spot with the Blue Jays in 2012, and, if he’s starting games, keep your eye on him. His was once a most-intriguing arm with high-strikeout -- and high-walk -- potential.

Profile: Dustin McGowan’s return to the mound in 2011, after three years away, was short lived. Injuries returned -- plantar fasciitis and more shoulder issues -- and he didn’t pitch at all in 2012. But he's signed through 2014, so he'll keep getting chances. McGowan’s once again looking to get healthy; the latest reports suggest he “could be back for spring training.” With McGowan, you don’t really know what that means. His status for 2013 is up in the air, and therefore he’s got no fantasy value outside of the deepest AL-only leagues Frankly, we just want him to be happy. (Navin Vaswani)

The Quick Opinion: Signed through 2014, the Blue Jays, for better or worse, are going down with this ship. And you know what? I can respect that.

Profile: Dustin McGowan will be 32 in March. Time flies on the disabled list. It seems like only yesterday that McGowan was the "young stud with potential" portion of a tough Blue Jays rotation, but that was actually six or seven years ago. McGowan missed all of 2009, 2010, and 2012, yet here he is, still under contract with the Blue Jays. Incredibly, he was pretty good out of the bullpen in his 35 appearances for Toronto in 2013, sporting a 2.45 ERA while striking out about 23% of the batters he faced. Even over this good small sample, though, there were issues: he walked more 10% of batters he faced, and a .236 batting average on balls in play is quite lucky for just about any pitcher. McGowan is still under contract for 2014, but even when he is healthy, he does not project as anything more than an unspectacular, generic right-handed reliever. There are plenty of options along those lines on the waiver wire in most leagues. (Matt Klaassen)

The Quick Opinion: Dustin McGowan might make for a good comeback story after being superficially effective for the Blue Jays in 2013, but even when he is healthy, at this point he's a generic right-handed reliever or the sort that is rarely scare on most leagues' waiver wires.

Profile: Wait, wasn't Dustin McGowan a Blue Jay for life? Is he allowed to be a free agent? After being with the Blue Jays despite being hurt for years and years, Dustin McGowan is indeed a free agent. In his brief time in the majors in 2013, he showed signs of maybe being a useful middle reliever. In 2014, he actually got a few starts, during which he was not too great. Problematically, when he went back to the bullpen, he wasn't anything special, either. One would imagine any potential employers will see him as a reliever. He still has impressive fastball velocity, but that is about it. He is a fastball-slider pitcher, for the most part, and thus is not great against lefties, although this could be papered over in the bullpen. McGowan just does not do anything that would set him apart from any other 30-something right handed reliever, at least not from a statistical standpoint. In other words, even if he finds a job, McGowan is fantasy waiver bait. (Matt Klaassen)

The Quick Opinion: It seemed like just yesterday that Dustin McGowan was a promising young starter with arm problems. Now a free agent in his mid-30s, even when healthy he's just another right-handed reliever without fantasy relevance.

Profile: Good on you, Dustin, for sticking with it. McGowan's professional journey has been anything but a cakewalk. Or maybe it has been a cakewalk but, instead the kind of cakewalk that features Piranha Plants baked into the cakes. A seemingly endless string of injuries and surgeries since his de facto peak in 2007-08 forced him out of baseball for three years and limited him to a meager 152 innings pitched the last half-decade. It would be unfair to extrapolate his small-but-miserable 2015 sample and call it a day, but it would be unwise to ignore the aforementioned half-decade during which he accumulated -- gave away? -- a miserable -1.1 wins above replacement. The fact that McGowan signed a minor league deal with the Miami Marlins with an invite to spring training is the most pertinent signal regarding his fantasy value. McGowan is not a fantasy consideration, regardless of format. (Alex Chamberlain)

The Quick Opinion: Dustin McGowan was signed by the Miami Marlins with an invite to spring training as he continues his comeback from countless injuries, surgeries and lost time. He is a non-factor in all formats.

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